Alan B. Gruskin died on 7 April 2003. He was a talented colleague, teacher, mentor, scientist, leader, and a wonderful friend. His loss is felt deeply by all of us who had the good fortune to work with, for, or alongside Alan Gruskin. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and the University of Vermont School of Medicine. Following his pediatric internship and residency at the Bronx Municipal Hospital Center in New York, he was a postdoctoral fellow in renal physiology and in pediatric cardiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. His initial faculty appointment in 1968 was as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Temple University School of Medicine and Director of the Pediatric Renal Division at the St. Christopher Hospital for Children. He rapidly rose through the ranks from Associate Professor to Professor of Pediatrics and developed one of the premier fellowship programs in pediatric nephrology, while making major contributions to our understanding of bicarbonate re-absorption and hydrogen ion excretion in infancy, maturational and developmental changes in renal blood flow, and numerous advances in our understanding of hypertension in childhood.

In 1984, he was selected as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at Wayne State University School of Medicine, and Pediatrician in Chief at the Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit. He held those positions for the next 18 years. During this time, he continued to mentor pediatricians, not only in nephrology, but in all aspects of the care of children. He significantly expanded the faculty at Wayne State and the Children's Hospital of Michigan, and developed one of the premier residency programs in pediatrics. He was a member of the executive committee of the Association of Medical School Pediatric Chairs, and was selected by his peers as president of that organization. He co-founded the International Pediatric Chairs Association and was its first president. He organized the first two meetings of the International Chairs (in Amsterdam and in Beijing).

He published 140 peer-reviewed publications, edited 11 books, wrote 51 chapters, and 125 abstracts. His many honors included membership of AOA, the Society for Pediatric Research, the American Pediatric Society, and presidency of the Third International Congress of Pediatric Nephrology held in Philadelphia. He was the first recipient of the Career Achievement award of the International Society of Hypertension. He received the distinguished Alumni Award at the University of Vermont, the Henry L. Barnett Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Founder's Award, which is the highest award given by the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology. His contributions as an educator, mentor, and leader will be remembered by all.

In addition to his major contributions to our academic life, he was an extremely talented pianist, and a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.

As Alan said in his last public commentary, "for all things, there is a season". His was a rich and fulfilling one.

Those of us who had the pleasure of knowing and working with Alan have lost a close friend. He will be missed by all, but not forgotten.